Published Jan. 25, 2018
Local MPP Laurie Scott called the events of last night “a shock to all of us” in a statement released via Twitter this morning.
At
9:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 24, PC leader Patrick Brown called a press
conference to deny allegations of sexual misconduct, calling the
accounts detailed in a CTV News report “untrue.”
Hours
later, Brown resigned as leader, reiterating that the “allegations are
false,” but stating that “defeating Kathleen Wynne in 2018 is more
important than one individual.”
He said he would remain an MPP as he worked to clear his name.
Brown’s resignation was the right thing to do, Scott said in her statement.
“My
PC Caucus colleagues and I believe that sexual assault is a very
serious issue and that it must be treated with the utmost seriousness,”
she wrote.
“As
someone who fights for victims of sexual exploitation every day, I
believe that the voices of women always need to be heard. There is now a
process that has to be followed, which we recognize and respect.”
Scott has worked for years on human trafficking issues and her work played a key role in the Liberal government’s Anti-Human Trafficking Act. She is Official Opposition Critic for Community Safety and Women’s Issues.